Dear Parishioners and Friends,
On Ash Wednesday, March 2, we will begin the holy season of Lent. On Sunday,  April 17, we will celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection from the Dead. 
Clearly, this is the most important time of year for Christians.   At the end of Lent during Holy Week, especially the last three days (Sacred Triduum), we will recommit ourselves in a personal way to the Lord Jesus Christ in HIs Victorious Death on the Cross and His Glorious Resurrection.  All of Lent is a holy time for all Christians to die and rise in Christ.  It is a time of spiritual renewal.
In these days before Lent each of us should draw up our Lenten program.  It is made up of three aspects: 1. Prayer; 2. Penance; 3. Almsgiving.  This makes for a complete Lent.  Once this plan is formulated, then during Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday, we can put it into practice.  Without a plan it is unlikely that we will have a fruitful Lent. 
I encourage all to make this the best Lent possible.  Now is the time of salvation.  Now is the hour.  It is never too late to start over.  It is never too late to grow in our Faith.  Let us pray for our ongoing conversion to Christ.  He is at the door waiting for us to open to Him.  His embrace is always a loving one.  We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Please consult our full Lenten schedule for the times of various special services, programs, and Masses.
Since Easter is the principal Christian feast, if you are able, I humbly ask your generous financial support in making the Gospel known and loved, as a visible sign of our Faith in the Lord truly risen.  We are the witnesses to the Resurrection in our own time in many ways.  After almost two thousand years Jesus remains our first, last, best, and only hope.  Are you aware that what happened then, continues to happen today?   Yes, all of history can be read through the filter of Holy Week.  For example, do we not hear over and over again (Luke 23:21):  “Crucify Him!  Crucify Him! (Crucifige, crucifige eum).”
These past two years have held tremendous challenges for all of us. Please know that we do not take the sacrificial giving of people in times of difficulty lightly. Your Easter contribution is greatly appreciated.
May you have a Holy Lent and a genuinely Blessed Easter!  Grace is everything!
Yours in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
The Rev. Mark G. Mazza, Pastor